The bagpipe is an instrument whose development and use spans, in many forms, perhaps 2,000 years. The bagpipe has been played by the people of many cultures, throughout much of recorded history.
Reeds for this woodwind instrument have, until recently, been fashioned from natural material, such as cane (bamboo), occurring in many species and varieties throughout the world. This readily available material produces a warm, harmonically pleasing sound, but is subject to deterioration over relatively short periods of time due to the harsh humid playing environment afforded by life within the bag of a mouth or bellows-blown instrument.
Bagpipe drone reeds have usually been produced by utilizing a hollow piece of cane tubing, sealed at one end and open at the opposing end. A "tongue" or elongated three-sided flap of cane is then cut from the body of the tube. This tongue vibrates and produces a tone as a result of airflow pushed around the tongue. The length of the tongue is altered by means of a "bridle" or loop of cord or other material which girdles the body of the reed and can be moved upward or downward as playing preference and pitch dictate, i.e., a longer tongue will produce a lower pitch and a shorter tongue will produce a higher pitch.
In the last 50 to 75 years, many other materials have been used instead of cane in an attempt to match the sound and performance of cane drone reeds in bagpipes. These materials have included injection-molded plastics, polymers, composites, and light alloy metals such as aluminum and brass, and have been used for both the body of the reed (the tube) and the tongue. However, problems have been experienced in terms of both performance (operation and dependability) and sound (pitch, intonation, and harmonic balance).